Proud moment for Worcester military family

Friday

Dec 7, 2012 at 6:00 AM

U.S. Marine Sgt. William Soutra Jr. of Worcester — surrounded by his family and friends — stood tall and proud Monday when Navy Secretary Ray Mabus presented him with the distinguished Navy Cross, the American naval service's highest honor. “I'm a third generation Marine. I guess it gets in your blood,” he explained.

By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

U.S. Marine Sgt. William Soutra Jr. — surrounded by his family and friends — stood tall and proud Monday when Navy Secretary Ray Mabus presented him with the distinguished Navy Cross, the American naval service's highest honor.

But, if he had the choice, he probably would have preferred having a beer with his close friend, Staff Sgt. Christopher J. Antonik.

Sgt. Soutra, a Worcester native and a member of a Marine special operations unit, was given the venerated award for helping his wounded platoon mates escape a deadly ambush in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan in July of 2010.

The 27-year-old tended to the wounded during the fierce two-day firefight in the Taliban stronghold and eventually guided the team out of harm's way.

Sgt. Soutra, a 2004 graduate of Worcester Vocational High School, repeatedly found himself in the line of fire while dragging away the injured and orchestrating the defense for his pinned down unit.

Staff Sgt. Antonik, a 29-year-old from Crystal Lake in Illinois, was one of three who died on the battlefield.

He had gotten married just six months earlier.

“I'm grateful that I received the award but Chris didn't make it and that hurts,” said Sgt. Soutra, a canine handler who was attached to the special-ops team with his bomb sniffing dog, Posha.

The animal was put down about a year ago because it had cancer. Sgt. Soutra had Posha cremated and he still has the remains.

“Life in Afghanistan is tough and you expect bad things to happen,” said Sgt. Soutra, who has also served two deployments in Iraq. “But that had to be one of the worst days. Our country lost a great warrior.”

Sgt. Soutra, a member of the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Special Forces Operating Command, studied carpentry at Worcester Vocational and played on the lacrosse, football, and hockey teams.

He said he always wanted to be a Marine but put off joining because of his mother's concerns.

“Everything was blowing up in Iraq and Afghanistan and I was really worried about Bill's safety,” said Penny Soutra, his mom. “I kept pushing him not to join.”

In deference to his mother's wishes, Sgt. Soutra went to Becker College where he played lacrosse.

But classroom life wasn't for him and he decided to enlist a year later.

“He told me that he was just wasting my money,” said his mother.

Sgt. Soutra said the rigors of Marine life fit his lifestyle perfectly.

“I'm a third generation Marine. I guess it gets in your blood,” he explained.

His father, William Soutra Sr., a Vietnam-era veteran, passed away in 2003.

Military officials praised Sgt. Soutra.

For example, Major James Rose, who received a Silver Star for his own responses during the ambush, said that Sgt. Soutra's job was to identify hidden bombs and not lead commandos.

Officials said Sgt. Soutra “relentlessly” fired his M4 rife while rescuing his comrades and coordinating defensive ground efforts with American jets and helicopters.

For his part, Sgt. Soutra downplayed his actions and said he was no hero.

“My response was balanced by my reactions and my training,” he explained. “You care for everyone on your side. You just get into the zone and do what's expected of you.”

Meanwhile, Mrs. Soutra said she is proud of her son.

“It's so surreal,” she said. “My son's a hero.”

In addition to Sgt. Soutra and Maj. Rose, two others were recognized during Monday's ceremony at Camp Pendleton in California. Staff Sgt. Frankie Shinost Jr. and Navy Corpsman Patrick Quill received Silver Stars.

Mrs. Soutra said her son will be reunited with his family in Worcester on Dec. 22.

She said someone, who had heard of his actions, gave up their airline tickets so the Marine could come home for Christmas.